Brigante, Red Dollar, The Melophobics, Radical Light.

Lev 2 Esquires Bedford. 1st August 2009.

Tonight was an Esquires night shared by the established and the unknown - well, at least as far as the musical folks of Bedford were concerned. RADICAL LIGHT opened. A quartet who based their sound upon the standard guitars and drums routine, but with the added novel surprise of synths. The multi-tasking keyboard man does however take control of a guitar at times. A rather prolonged sample opens, by which time the boys were ready to rock. However, most of the set just seems to merge into one. Limited variation, but it is my first viewing of this band. Thankfully they 'upped' the gears slightly with "Shine On". Slightly slower, it works perfectly. Although strangers to the venue, Radical Light seem to thoroughly enjoy the rapport gained with tonight's audience. The vocalist thankfully says "We appreciate the appreciation"!

Altogether more uplifting and armed with a stack of good material are St Neots youngsters THE MELOPHOBICS (I like the band name for some obscure reason!). Their body language is positive and they are primed for action right from the start. Even though they slightly cocked up on their second song, the recovery was instant, composure soon regained. Enthusiastically, they gave us a song called "Two Steps Forward and One Step Back" (I think). The appropriately titled "Summer Song" and, especially "Reality", kept my toes tapping endlessly throughout.

The first thing I notice about RED DOLLAR (apart from the fact that Don's hairstyle had less blonde streaks in it!) is that their line up is slightly different from their last appearance. Of course it doesn't detract from their usual excellent performance. Strong material, with charismatic frontman Don always the focal point for any stray photographer anxious for a great shot. Tightly knit already, their best moment arrives with "Changing Lanes". As with the rest of the set it is maturely constructed with anthemic climaxes to match.

BRIGANTE also return after a lengthy absence. They again glean strong support. The set is solid and dependable, containing no real surprises. Calls for an encore ring out loudly and the boys answer the shouts with one more.